


Nanu’s Offer

by GingerNutmegNClove



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Guzma Needs a Hug (Pokemon), Island Kahunas, Main character guzma, No Angst, No Romance, Post-Canon, Shiny Pokemon, he deserves the world, literally just Guzma getting what he deserves, moon is the champion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:47:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerNutmegNClove/pseuds/GingerNutmegNClove
Summary: A few years after the disbandment of Team Skull, Guzma finds himself growing bored of training with Hala. But he could never have guessed what would happen to him next. This is just a short fluff fic of my personal post-game headcanon :)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Nanu’s Offer

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this short fic! I’m working on an epilogue right now but wanted to get this out there as soon as possible since I’m very excited to share it. This is my personal headcanon for what happens post-Sun/Moon and I would have loved if something like this could have even happened during tbe actual gameplay, but alas, in order to create the content I wish to see I must create it myself.

After a few years of training with Hala, Guzma was beginning to grow restless. It had been three years since Team Skull had disbanded, and Hala had insisted on helping him improve his trainer skills. Since Guzma was too old to take on the Island Challenge again, there was really nothing else for him to do. But to Guzma, being out on the street doing whatever the hell he wanted would be better than whatever this shit was.

The days were more monotonous than he ever could have expected. Most of the time, he wasn’t even training with his Pokémon. Hala had him doing an awful lot of various chores and errands, something Guzma was not particularly accustomed to after living in the run-down Po Town for so long. Often he wondered how Plumeria and all his ex-grunts were doing. He didn’t get to see them very often, as Hala kept him ridiculously busy, and he honestly wasn’t sure if he could recognize many of them without their Team Skull uniforms. 

He missed Plumeria in particular; she had been like a younger sibling to him for years. After they’d decided to form Team Skull together it seemed like there could be nothing that could ever separate them. But now she only visited him at Iki Town every so often, to say hello, and maybe bring him a malasada or some Pokébeans for Golisopod. Since Plumeria was still a teenager when Team Skull disbanded, she decided to restart her Island Challenge, along with a few of the grunts. Guzma figured battling with Moon, the now-champion of Alola, so many times inspired her to give it a shot. He couldn’t blame her, honestly, although it did make him a bit jealous. It didn’t seem fair that she was able to get a fresh start just because she was younger than him. Plumeria certainly wasn’t spending all  _ her _ time mopping kitchen floors and making grocery trips and enduring Hala’s endless training rituals. 

One of his least favorite parts was visiting the Ruins. Every time Hala had a new challenger he would visit the Ruins of Conflict, a monument built in honor of the legendary Guardian of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko. Hala would go and pray to Tapu Koko for a fair, exciting battle--one both he and his opponents could learn from. And each and every time, he brought Guzma to pray along with him. It was beginning to get tedious. Guzma didn’t really understand the point. Why couldn’t they just battle each other without all the fuss? Hala had explained that this ritual was important to all of the Island Kahunas, in order to keep the legendary Guardians of Alola content.

“They do their best to protect us, after all,” he’d said. “It’s the least we can do to give thanks.”

Although, the time Guzma spent with Hala wasn’t all bad. He really did enjoy battling him, though even after a few years of training he wasn’t able to defeat him very often. When Hala noticed him getting too frustrated or self-depreciative, he would congratulate him kindly on his efforts and never scold him for losing. Criticism always came constructively; Hala wanted him to  _ grow _ , after all, and how’s a tree meant to grow if every budding branch gets hacked off right away?

The best part, although he would never admit it, was visiting Melemele Meadow. Hala often took Guzma there in an attempt to deepen his connection with the “natural beauty” of the island. Guzma wasn’t sure how deeply he was really feeling that connection, but boy, did he love the Meadow. It was absolutely full of Butterfree and Cutiefly, some of his favorite Pokémon. The Pokémon there had even grown so used to his visits that they would swarm him as soon as he ducked into the Meadow. When Hala would have him meditate, sitting right in the middle of the bright yellow flowers, it could never last long, as all of the bug Pokémon around him kept wanting to play.

He even began bringing food for the Pokémon. He knew that Butterfree tended to prefer the orange Pokébeans, and Cutiefly the yellow ones. In order to feed the Cutiefly he would hold one bean out, cupped in his hand very carefully, and have to hold it there, very still, as it prodded it with its little straw-like mouth. 

Even sometimes an Oricorio, with its fluffy yellow pom-poms, would come up to him and do a little dance, at which he’d giggle softly and hand the little bird a Pokébean. Though he still liked the Oricorio, he never quite made the same connection with them that he had with the bug Pokémon. It was his favorite type, after all.

It got to a point where Guzma would frequently sneak out at night, or during his down time, and go visit all of his bug friends. He refused to let Hala know how much they really meant to him, though part of him figured he already knew. And even besides the fact that he adored the Pokémon there, he loved how quiet the Meadow was. It could be so peaceful with the sun shining overhead, warming the soft flowers around him. Not many visited, as it was partially hidden by a small tunnel, so he was often alone, which was how he liked it. Sometimes on days where a seemingly large number of tourists made their way into the meadow, he would duck through a small opening he’d found in the hillside and head through the humid cave until he reached Kala’e Bay. There he would let Golisopod out to play in the water, and he could watch peacefully from the shore.

One afternoon in particular, Guzma had managed to finish his chores early and went off to the Meadow. It was a gorgeous day, he decided; something seemed specifically uplifting about it. He found himself alone in Melemele Meadow, so he laid down among the flowers and let the Cutiefly poke at his face and arms. He put on his sunglasses and closed his eyes contentedly.

He awoke to a soft tapping sound. Opening one eye, he noticed one Cutiefly tapping his glasses repeatedly. He smiled and held out his finger for it to nestle on. It took him a moment to realize that this Cutiefly was different from the rest of them. Instead of being covered in soft yellow fuzz, this one was pink! This Cutiefly was  _ shiny _ ! Guzma scrambled for a Pokéball (nearly scaring the bug off in the process), fully intent on catching it. In his pocket he found a few Luxury Balls that Hala had given him as a birthday gift, and held one out gently to the pink Cutiefly. It buzzed curiously, before happily tapping the ball’s button and going inside the Pokéball. It shook a few times before it finally settled down, and the pink Cutiefly was caught!

Guzma grinned wildly and leaped up from where he’d been napping. He was ecstatic. He’d never caught a shiny Pokémon before! He said a quick goodbye to his bug friends and started running back to Iki Town. 

“Hala! Hala, you’ll bever believe it!” Guzma called out as he spotted Hala training with Crabrawler. He climbed up to meet him on the wide wooden platform they used for battles.

“Whoa, slow down there! Catch your breath first,” Hala chuckled. Guzma took a moment to breathe and then dug through his pockets until he found the right ball. Excitedly he pressed the button and out came Cutiefly with a flash of red light.

“It’s shiny! See?” And I caught it!” Hala studied it, intrigued, and then let out a hearty laugh. 

“Well done, Guzma! She’s beautiful! Are you going to name her?” He hadn’t considered it.

“Maybe I will. She’s special, after all. She deserves a cool nickname.” Guzma pet the Pokémon affectionately with one finger. It was so  _ tiny _ . It was not only the first shiny Pokémon he’d ever seen, but one of the smallest he’d seen as well. According to the Pokédex, most Cutiefly were about four inches long, but this one couldn’t have been more than two. It nuzzled back against his hand and he shifted so he was cupping his hands as a little nest for it to rest in. It accepted gratefully and snuggled right down into his palms. Guzma nearly burst into tears right there.

“Well, my boy, it certainly looks like it cares for you! I hope you’ll take very good care of it,” Hala said softly, and patted Guzma caringly on the back. “You know, it’s been said that Cutiefly can sense the aura of all living things, and is attracted to people with particularly colorful or bright auras. Yours must be especially bright if it likes you so much!” Guzma couldn’t contain his smile.

“What d’ya know,” he whispered to the tiny bug still asleep in his palms. “I think I’ll call you…” he thought for a moment before he decided on a name: “Pecha. It’s pink just like the berries.”

Hala smiled at him fondly. “That’s an excellent name. I’m sure you two will get along nicely.” He stepped down from the platform and went inside his house, leaving Guzma alone with Pecha. He decided to bring Golisopod out to meet her. 

“Look, Golisopod,” Guzma said softly, “this is Pecha. I just caught her today.” He held out his cupped hands to show Golisopod, who trilled quizzically at it. The size difference between the two of them was absurd. “Hold out your hands, like this.”

Golisopod carefully held out its enormous claws, cupping them together as best as it could. Guzma carefully handed him the Cutiefly, who startled Golisopod when it woke up almost immediately and began buzzing around the two of them.

“Heh, it’s okay, buddy. Maybe your claws are a bit too rough for it. She’ll warm up to you soon, I bet.” Sure enough, Pecha was already darting excitedly around Golisopod, who made a happy clicking noise.

Hala came back outside after a few minutes and called to Guzma.

“Nanu just called! He said he’s coming over later today. I think he has something to give you? I wonder what it could be…?” Hala smiled as if he absolutely knew what it would be, concerning Guzma a bit. Hala’d made it sound like a good thing, but Guzma didn’t like it when the Kahunas kept secrets together. Especially when they concerned him.

He spent the rest of the day outside, sitting on the edge of Iki Town’s battling platform, fidgeting horribly. Watching Pecha and Golisopod play with each other comforted him a bit, but he grew increasingly anxious as time went on. Plus he was hungry, which didn’t help. He realized he hadn’t eaten since that morning. He was about to get up to grab something to eat when suddenly, three Ride Charizards flew overhead and touched down just outside of town. Their landing startled Pecha, who zipped into Guzma’s hair to hide.

“Hey!” He cried, reflexively. He was even more nervous now.  _ Three Charizards? I thought it was just supposed to be Nanu? _ But sure enough, Hala had come out of the house and went to greet the Charizard’s riders. They came back to the center of town and Guzma finally was able to see who they were—not just Nanu, but Olivia and Hapu, too.

“W-what’s this all about?” Guzma asked Hala, equally exasperated and anxious.

“Don’t worry, Guzma. Why don’t you come inside? I have dinner ready.” Hala and the other Kahunas entered the house, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Guzma clenched his fists angrily. Why hadn’t Hala told him that the rest of the Kahunas were coming? Why didn’t Hala ever tell him anything? Golisopod trilled at him worriedly and Guzma sighed as Pecha, too, buzzed around his face with concern.

“You’re right. ‘S probably nothing. I bet Nanu’s gift is just gonna be a stern talking-to about somethin’ I don’t even remember doing.” He laughed a bit, trying to make himself feel better. 

“It’s probably better if you go back in your ball for now, Golisopod. I’ll tell ya how it goes later, ‘kay?” With that, Guzma brought Golisopod back into its Pokéball. He looked at Pecha.

“I guess you can stay out. You’re too small to cause any trouble, plus maybe they’ll be so distracted by ya that they’ll forget all about me.”

Guzma finally, begrudgingly, went inside, and found all the Kahunas merrily gathered around the large dining room table, passing around food and laughing. Olivia noticed him first.

“C’mon, Guzma, come eat with us! Hala’s food is always really yummy,” she called to him. He reluctantly joined them at the table, Cutiefly in tow behind him. Olivia noticed her, too.

“Oh my gosh! Guzma, who is  _ this _ ??” She’s  _ sooo  _ cute!!” This exclamation made the other Kahunas look up from the dishes in front of them to see who she was talking about. Pecha buzzed around the table proudly as the Kahunas marveled at her.

“Wow, you caught a shiny Cutiefly!” Hapu exclaimed.

“A tiny little thing,” noted Nanu.

“Can I pet her?” asked Olivia hopefully. Guzma was nearly overwhelmed.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just be careful,” he said annoyedly. Olivia gleefully held out a finger to Pecha, who floated over to poke it in response. Olivia squealed, nearly bursting with excitement. Hapu may be the youngest Kahuna, but Olivia sure acted like it sometimes, Guzma thought.

Hala passed him a plate of food finally, and it took Guzma all his strength not to scarf the whole thing down immediately. Most of the attention was still on Pecha, who flitted back and forth between the Kahunas happily. Guzma figured that if she really was attracted to bright auras, the Island Kahunas were about as bright as they got. Though, if she also liked his crummy aura like Hala said, maybe her aura-sensor was all messed up.

The Kahunas rarely pulled him into their lively conversation, and though Guzma didn’t mind all that much, a part of him felt left out. He secretly wished he could belong to a group like the Kahunas—to be a leader again, like he was in Team Skull; he just seemed to be so out of place at this table of such important people.

“ _ Are you ready to tell him? _ ” Guzma heard Hala mumble to Nanu as they were finishing dinner. Nanu sighed and shrugged. “Better now than never, I guess,” he replied. Nanu cleared his throat and everyone went silent. They all gave him expectant smiles.

“So, Guzma,” he addressed him directly. “I’ve decided to retire as the Kahuna of Ula’Ula Island.” Guzma choked and nearly spit out his water, coughing violently at the news.

“W-why?? Don’t you like being Kahuna?” He asked, after regaining his breath. “Isn’t that, like, the highest honor you could possibly receive?” 

“Yeah, well, you know me. I’m gettin’ tired of it, really. I’d rather just nap at home with Persian all day, if I’m honest. Tapu Bulu’s already accepted my proposed replacement, so if all goes well, the Island won’t be Kahuna-less for very long.”

“Okay, well, what’s all this gotta do with me? I don’t know why you felt the need to come all the way over here and tell  _ me _ about it.” Nanu sighed again.

“Guzma, you know I wouldn’t have come all the way out here if it wasn’t important. If my whole announcement was just about my retirement then I woulda just sent an email.” Nanu dug in his pockets for a moment and pulled out an extravagantly-wrapped box. The wrapping paper was bright green with rainbow polka dots, and had a big red bow neatly tied around it. He passed it to Guzma and said, “Don’t think too much into the packaging. Olivia did it, not me.” Olivia giggled as Guzma took hold of the gift. His heart was pounding in his ears like crazy.

“Go on, open it!” Olivia cheered. Hands trembling, he tore open the vibrant wrapping paper, lifted the lid off of the plain white box inside, and gasped suddenly at its contents.

“We discussed it together and all four of us think you deserve this, so don’t go thinking it was just from me or anything,” said Nanu.

Inside the box was a Z-Ring, one extremely similar to the one Nanu was wearing. Next to it was a light green Z-crystal, a Buginium-Z. Guzma recognized it immediately. He was practically speechless.

“W-what’s all this for?” He asked frantically, voice cracking. He felt all their eyes on him and his face grew hot as tears stung in his eyes. Pecha curiously darted around the Z-crystal. Nanu chuckled.

“Guzma, boy, how would you like to be the Kahuna of Ula’Ula Island?”

“I- I don’t know what to say,” Guzma started, rubbing the tears from his eyes. Pecha prodded his face softly and he laughed for a moment, batting her gently away.  _ Him? The Kahuna? _ He never could have pictured himself in such an important role. Sure, he had wanted to be a Trial Captain as a kid, but once he actually started his Island Challenge he’d realized that it would never be in the cards for him. He looked back at the Kahunas, who he realized had been waiting silently for him.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked shakily. “I-I’m still not a very good trainer; I mean, I can’t even beat Hala most of the time! How am I supposed to put up a fair fight against the Island Challengers?” He was fully shaking, he realized. He silently scolded himself for embarrassing himself like this in front of the Kahunas.

“Are you kidding me? Even I have a hard time beating Hala, kid. There’s just somethin’ about this guy’s spirit that’s tough to break,” said Nanu flatly. “Besides, Tapu Bulu already accepted you. It’d be a lot of work for me to find someone else if you said no.” Hapu frowned at him and he threw up his hands in defeat. 

“There’s really  _ no pressure _ , Guzma,” she insisted quickly, with a pointed glare to Nanu. “But believe us when we tell you that you were our very first choice. I, for one, think you’d make a wonderful Kahuna.”

“We all do; you’ve really made so much progress over the last few years. We’re all so proud of you,” Hala added warmly, and placed his hand on Guzma’s shoulder. At that point the tears finally spilled over. Guzma looked down so Hala wouldn’t have to see him cry. He couldn’t make it stop at that point; every time he thought about saying something another fit of sobs interrupted him. Self-conscious, he pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head in his arms, clutching the Z-Ring close. Hapu and Olivia got up from their seats and suddenly embraced him in a tight hug. Hala joined them, and gestured to Nanu to do the same. Nanu rolled his eyes and walked over to the group, resting one singular hand on Guzma’s shoulder. Pecha nestled affectionately on his head and buzzed softly in an attempt to comfort him.  _ Me, a Kahuna _ , he thought again, and tried to smile. He wiped his damp face on his equally soaked sleeve and took a hiccuping breath, sitting up a bit straighter. The Kahunas separated from him, waiting for him to give them an answer. He looked fondly at the Z-ring, something he’d so desperately desired all his life. And it was  _ right there _ in front of him, if he wanted it. 

“All right, Nanu,” he said finally, grinning through his diminishing sobs. “I’ll do it.”


End file.
